Readout of World Food Programme Executive Director Luke J. Lindberg’s Humanitarian Briefing at G7 Ministerial Summit

As the only external participant invited to brief the G7 ministers, Executive Director Lindberg spoke about current humanitarian challenges and WFP’s role in the global response to record levels of food insecurity. He laid out the priorities for his mandate at the helm of WFP: no more weaponization of food, no more targeting humanitarian workers, and no more famines.

During bilateral meetings, Executive Director Lindberg urged ministers to help end conflict around the globe, as it is the number one driver of food insecurity. He also provided perspectives on the critical role of humanitarian supply chains, highlighting five pilot operations — Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan, Haiti and Palestine — as a foundational integrated approach to United Nations’ delivery. 

The inter-agency team has made substantive progress on the Integrated Supply Chain Initiative, and WFP seeks to achieve tangible results for the people we serve through faster, more reliable and cost-efficient humanitarian operations. WFP itself secured US$ 200 million in verified savings through supply chain efficiencies last year, enabling an added 1.2 million people to be reached each month.

More than 266 million people face acute hunger globally. Executive Director Lindberg reiterated his call for urgent collective action to save lives. 

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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of weather extremes.